Education, Ethics and Professional Practice

• • Introduction to education philosophy and ethics.
  • Education as a moral practice 1: the aims and value of education.
  • Education as a moral practice 2: political imperatives.
  • The ethical teacher 1: teaching as a moral practice.
  • The ethical teacher 2: skills and virtues in practice.
  • The ethical teacher 3: teachers’ duties and children’s rights.
  • The professional teacher 1: ethical reasoning.
  • The professional teacher 2: codes of professional ethics and inclusivity.
  • The professional teacher 3: professional boundaries.
  • Teachers and the law 1: legal duties of care and the question of negligence.
  • Teachers and the law 2: mandatory reporting, discipline, physical contact.
  • Teachers and the law 3: the limits of autonomy.
  • Putting the pieces together: ethics, reasoning and professional practice.

In order to enrol in this subject, you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:

Special requirements

No special requirements

This subject is a theoretical and practical exploration of ethics in relation to education and teacher identity. It encourages you to consider how particular philosophical ideas inform educational values, how they relate to your identity as a teacher, and how they might be articulated in your own teaching practice. You will think critically and creatively about these ideas and evaluate their impact on educational practices, including those explored in previous and subsequent units.

1. The subject's rationale is that your teaching practice is strongly informed by your ethical stance on education, children, and professionalism, and the practical implications that flow from this, taking into account key professional and legislative imperatives. The subject focuses on three integrated areas:
2. The development of critical reasoning skills, which will underpin and be woven through your approach to
3. Educational ethics and their relation to your professional identity as a teacher, as well as inform your understanding of
4. Key contemporary issues in the philosophy of education, and the practical implications that flow from these

You will explore key ideas by engaging critically with lectures on philosophical theory, critical reflection, close reading of relevant material, ethical reasoning, tutorial and peer discussion, and your assessment tasks.

• Tutorial Participation and Engagement (10%%)
• Essay (30%%)
• Case Stuies (60%%)